Blog
Tag: Recycling
Christmas Community Event in Nicaragua 2024
While snowflakes drift down in Switzerland, the cold settles in and the trees glisten frostily in the early morning, the sun shines over the lush green trees of Nicaragua and awakens with its warmth a colorful flock of imposing birds, whose song fills the air. Two completely different worlds on opposite sides of the earth - yet there is a reason for joy for the children of both regions. In Switzerland, it is dinner with the family, with a beautiful tree, under which gifts liee. In the municipality of El Astillero in Nicaragua is a warm meal with friends, neighbors and families with fun and games, for on today takes place the Christmas event by Buy Food with Plastic instead. An...
A Christmas Story by Buy Food with Plastic
It is Advent, and the air is clear, not only from the snow, but from a purity that flows from the hearts of the people. A silence reigns on the streets, one that is not empty, but full of meaning. Here, nothing superfluous remains. Julia sits on a bench in a community park that was once a landfill. Back then, this place would have smelled of decay, of the end of things. But today, there is life here. Children play among trees that have grown from the compost of old waste. A group of craftspeople repairs tools that no one throws away anymore, because nothing needs to be replaced—everything can be renewed. Julia looks at the scene before her and...
Plastic bottles: a suitable breeding ground for malaria mosquitoes
Ms. Bosomtwe, a resident of the village of Dwabor in Ghana, where Buy Food with Plastic has been active for 4 years, knows exactly how dangerous empty plastic bottles are to the environment. Mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria nest in the bottles and multiply quickly in the village. Water collects in the discarded plastic bottles, in which the mosquitoes can lay their eggs in an ideally protected environment. This makes plastic bottles breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In addition to the residents of Dwabor, Ghana, several studies have also made similar observations (Fobil, 2000; Yintii et al., 2014). Thanks to the work of Buy Food with Plastic, the villagers can regularly hand in their plastic bottles. These bottles are...
Positive Change: Learn Jenner's Story
Imagine landing in Nicaragua, a Central American country full of breathtaking natural beauty. You step into the role of Jenner, a seven-year-old boy from the Pacific coastal region. The beauty of your surroundings is unparalleled—but there is a problem: mountains of trash, plastic bottles, and packaging pile up everywhere in your community, with no one to dispose of them. There is no waste management system, harming the environment and the country's beauty. But you have no energy to deal with it, because your biggest concern is simply surviving. Sometimes you are lucky enough to get a warm meal. But often your plate remains empty, and you go to bed hungry. One day, your sister tells you about a "Buy Food...
The Plastic House – Our First Experience with Recycling
In the early days of Buy Food with Plastic, we faced several challenges recycling the plastic we collected. We collected plastic bottles and hoped to have them processed at a recycling plant – but there were no such facilities anywhere nearby. The bottles eventually piled up on our Country Manager's property. One day, Eileen came to us, a German woman who had emigrated to Nicaragua. She had a bold idea: she wanted to build a house out of the collected plastic bottles. At first, we thought the idea was crazy. But the more we looked into it, the clearer it became: it was actually possible. Plastic bottles filled with sand could be used like bricks – strong, safe, and even...
Buy Food with Plastic Ghana - the founding story
After we told you how Buy Food with Plastic has grown and started operating in India thanks to Shakti, we would now like to take the time to tell you about another encounter that influenced the story of Buy Food with Plastic. This is the story of the encounter with George Kwame Quansah, the current Country Manager of Buy Food with Plastic in Ghana, and thus his story and the founding story of Buy Food with Plastic Ghana: In a small fishing village called Elmina, right on the coast of Ghana, lives Kwame, a young tour guide. Every morning, he leads curious tourists through the historic fort and tells them the stories and secrets of his country. In the afternoon,...
Our recycling plant and factory in India
In October 2023, we opened the doors to a place in India that is much more than just a workshop – a real milestone for the local team and our mission at Buy Food with Plastic. Imagine walking into the room. Many lamps illuminate the room and make it bright and welcoming. In addition, the sun shines through the glass door. Air conditioning and ceiling fans make for a pleasant working environment. Instead of the drab white of most walls, your eyes meet a soft aquamarine. None of your steps fall in dirt. At first, this sounds pretty unremarkable, but at second glance, it is a big difference. As soon as you step into the workshops next door, you are...
From plastic waste to a picnic blanket—and much more!
In addition to the bottle caps we have collected, we also upcycle the collected sachets from Ghana. Sachets are small plastic bags filled with water, juices, or milk. They are popular because they are cheaper than drinks in plastic bottles. Unfortunately, after use by the local population in Ghana, they are often carelessly discarded. But at our Buy Food with Plastic Community Events in Ghana, they get a second chance – and a new purpose. Here, people exchange 30 used sachets - or 20 plastic bottles - for a hot meal. This makes the environment cleaner, while also providing them with something to eat. But our environmental project does not end there. For us, sustainability means creating a cycle in which plastic...
The Swiss Lid Collection Campaign
The story of Buy Food with Plastic is built on many encounters between two people. Encounters were often the beginning of a new idea, a new perspective, or a new point of view. So it could not be otherwise than that another encounter led us onto new paths: Khalil had the special opportunity to exchange in Sweden with various other small environmental and aid organizations. During this week, we met the son of the former Bulgarian president. He told us about an impressive initiative in Bulgaria: There, people collect plastic caps and donate them to a non-profit organization. This organization sells the caps to recycling partners and uses the proceeds to equip hospitals with important equipment such as incubators. This...
The Journey of a Plastic Bottle
Hans Christian Andersen once wrote a story about the life of a glass bottle. The famous author called his story “The Bottle Neck” at the time. In this story, the reader follows the life of a glass bottle. It began in a glass factory, spent several years in the cellar of a winery, and was eventually opened at a wedding. The empty bottle was carelessly thrown on the ground, where a junk dealer picked it up. He sold it to a hostel owner, who filled it with medicinal liquid. Eventually, however, the bottle broke. But that was not the end. In a glass factory, it was transformed into something new: a stained-glass window. Its journey ended when it was installed...